Farmers get free animals in NCotabato

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines --- Tomas, an Ilonggo farmer has always wanted one hybrid buck to breed with his herd of native goats. And then  he got one for free from the local government.

Neighbors, among them Julia and Serafin, said Tomas has been telling farmers to bring their does to his farm for free natural insemination by the stocky buck the North Cotabato provincial government gave him.

Tomas was among dozens of farmers in Midsayap town who received 148 heads of goats dispersed early this week by the office of North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza.

The animal dispersal activity, led by provincial veterinarian Rufino Suropia, was part of the government's program to help  Midsayap’s farming communities  to recover from  the devastation wrought by recent armed conflicts and flashfloods that hit many low-lying areas in the province.

Mendoza’s office has been dispersing animals to farmers in the province since her first election to office in 2010, but expanded the project recently to help more farmers.

Suropia said they have distributed 95 goats and five heads of hybrid pigs to residents of Barangay Poblacion II in Midsayap early this week.

The activity, held at a government mini-gymnasium, was witnessed by incumbent provincial board member Loreto Cabaya, who hails from the neighboring Aleosan town.

Cabaya said Mendoza’s animal dispersal program is open to farmers in all parts of the provinces, regardless whether they are Muslims, Christians, or members of the non-Muslim hinterland indigenous tribes.

The provincial government requires all beneficiaries of the program to disperse to their neighbors the first offspring of the animals distributed to them for free.